Ball-bearing.



No 887,356, v PATENTBD MAY 12, 1908. J. L. STRAUB.

BALL BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 141 190C.

dink Gamma JACKSON L. STRAUB, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ERNST SACHS, OF SCHWEINFURT-ON-THE-MAIN GERMANY.

BALL-BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed November 14, 1906. Serial No. 343,l14.

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACKSON L. STRAUB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball-Bearings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to annular ball bearings, comprising concentric bearing-r igs or annular members with interposed ba s run- 5 ning in confronting grooves therein.

The invention consists of an improved means or device for separating and spacing the balls.

Ball separators for such annular bearings usually comprise several parts arranged between the balls or surrounding them at opposite sides, and secured together by fastenings or having other means for keeping the ballseparator in place. These devices are 35 troublesome to manufacture ar'icurately, and' troublesome to arrange in the bearing.

Moreover, many of these ball-separators space the balls at considerable distances apart, thus materially diminishing the capacity and strength of the bearing.

The principal objects of this invention are, first, to provide a ball separator of very simple, inexpensive design, which can be effectively made as a one-piece article (although it may also be made in segments), and which can be readily arranged with the balls in the bearing and held therein by the balls themselves, without the need of any fastenings or other retaining means; and,

10 further, to provide a ball-separator which will effectively reduce friction, promote free running of the balls, and permit the use of a relatively large number of balls, or nearly the full number of balls which the bearing is capable of holding.

, An exemplification of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein:

- Figure 1 is a side view of an annular ballhearing having my improvement embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, with a portion of the outer ring broken away to expose the balls and separator-ring; Fig. 3 is a collective view in perspective of the following named parts unassembled, to

wit: first, the bearing proper, with only half of its regular number of balls shown arranged substantially equidistant; second, the separator-ring about to be introduced between the bearing-rings, so that alternate crimps or undulations of said separator-ring will come over the respective balls in the bearing, while the intermediate undulations will go between the balls; and third, the remaining half number of balls which go into the bear- 5 ing after the separator-ring is assembled therein Fig. l is a diagrammatic view representing a development of a fragment of the ball-separator; Fig. 5 is a similar view showinga modilicationof the ball-separator. 7

In the drawings, I have represented my invention embodied in a Fichtel and Sachs bearing (exhibited in United States patent to Ernst Sachs, No. 796,871, dated August 8, 1905), such as may be fitted or arranged between a shaft and its journal-box or be tween a spindle and the hub of a wheel.

As shown, the ball-bearing comprises the concentric inner and outer bearing-rings a and I), with an interposed row of balls c, 0 which run in confronting grooves in the adjacent perimetcrs of said bearing-rings. The halls may be introduced in any suitable manner, as through a passage in the side of the bearing afforded by a lateral notch or 35 notches e. In the illustrated bearing, these notches e provide a spiral or oblique passage to the ball-race or grooves (Z, into whi ch the balls are inserted by forcing them under pressure through said oblique passage 0, while turning the rings a and I) in opposite directions; as explained in the specification of the aforesaid Sachs patent. .lt is understood, however, that the present invention can housed in different species of ball-bearings, having various means to permit inscrtion and removal of the balls; the invention being independent of the special means employed for that purpose.

The ball-separator comprises a ring or annulus f, of crimpcd or sinuous form, providing pockets b for the balls 0 in its opposite faces in alternation. Said ball-separator f is arranged in the annular space or interstice between the bearing-rings a and b, being of suitable size to set therein, and

.passes alternately inward and outward between adjacent balls and around their opposite sides, but without binding; so that one-half of the whole number of balls is ex:

' posed at each side of the hearing. The

crimps g of the separator-ring, are, of course, made or sufhcient depth to loosely encircle the balls, all of which lie in the same plane;

. crimping operation to a proper degree to fit or set in the annular interstices between the bearing-rings. Moreover, said separatorring may be made in various forms, either with rounded crimps as in Figs. 1 to 4 inclu sive, orwith square or angular crimps as in Fig. 5 or the separator may be substantially zig-zag or have other appropriate form embodying. the principle herein set forth.

To assemble the balls 0 and separator-ring,

f in the bearing, onehalf of the whole nhmber of balls are first introduced and placed approximately euidistantly, as shown in Fig. 3. This can e done by the well-known method of displacing the bearing-rings a and Z eccentrically, then inserting the balls between them, and then arranging the balls at approximately equal distances apart, so as'to bring the bearing-rings a and 1) again into concentric position.

the adjacent balls, which are thus respec tively distributed in the pockets or cavities g therefor in one side of said separator. The

I remaining half number of balls are finally introduced by inserting them one after another through the lateral passage or notches e, .the separator-ring being moved to bring the pockets in its ot 161' side or face succesvices, since the crimps or sinuations oi the separator-ring are or may be so closely ar ranged as to space the balls only at slight distances apart, while yet leaving sufiicient play or clearancearound the balls to enable them to run freely. Thus a large capacity of the bearing is obtained. It is possible,

especially when the separator-ring is made of sheet-metal, to form its c'rimps so as to separate adjacent balls only by ap roxiinately the thickness oithe sheet-meta ring,-

Next, the separator-. ring f I is placed between the bearing-rings] so that its alternate crimps pass between.

thereby enabling the bearing to be filled up with the full number of balls, less one, whic the bearingrings can accommodate between them; although in practice it may be desirable to use a lesser number of balls, making thecrimps of the separator less pro-- nounced, and leaving more play or clearance tor the balls 1n their respective sockets.

Moreover, the separator-ring, by spacing the balls apart, effectively diminishes friction, the balls being .lo'osely held in their sockets, making practically a two-point contact bearing'; that 1s each ball has its bearings practically in the grooves or ball-races d of' the bearing-rings, although the balls may contact more or less with the'separator-ring. Thus a very free and easy rumiingbearing is obtained. The separator-ring f revolves with the bearing balls.

To effect removal of the balls, little holes or apertures h are made in the crinips of the separator-ring, just behind the re pective ball-cavities, to permit driving out 1: l e balls through the lateral passage or notches e by means of a punch. 'In some kinds,ofbear ings, the punch-holes h ma not be necessary, as, for example, where th vided with a filling-aperture to allow insertion of the balls, closed by a detachable plug to prevent the balls from dropping out. But in the bearing illustrated, as well as in other species of bearings, the punch-holes are or.

may be necessary.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a ball-bearing, concentric bearingmembers having confronting grooves or ballraces, an annular series of balls runningv therein, and a ball-spacer or separator consisting of an undulated ring of sheet-metal passing in and out between adjacent balls throughout the series and having the balls seated alternately in the ockets of the two sides of the ring formed y the concavities of the undulations themselves.

2-. A ball-spacer consisting of an undulated sheet-metal ring adapted to ass be tween and receive in the. pockets 0 its two sides successive balls of a series.

3. In a ball -bearing, concentric bearingmembers havi confrontinggrooves, an 2111. nular row of be Is running therein, all in the same plane, and a ball-separator consisting of a ring or annular, strip of flat metal ofcrimped or sinuous form arranged in the space or interstice between the bearingmembers and passing alternately inward and outward between adjacent balls: and loosely around the same at o po'site sides of the bearin exposing at eac side of the bearing one ha f of the whole number of balls, the latter being seated in the pockets afforded by the crim s of said separator.

4-. A all-bearing comprising concentric bearing-rings having confronting grann /es or e bearing is proball-races, interposed balls, said rings having in their confronting surfaces a lateral passage for introducing the balls, and a ball-separator arranged 1n the interstice between the bearing-rings'comprising a crimped or undulating annular strip of fiat metal loosely inclosing o posite sides of adjacent balls, the summits 0 the crimps or undulations of said annular strip being provided with punchholes for forcing out the balls, substantially as described.

5. A ball-separator for annular ball-bearings comprising a ring or annulus in the form less diameter than the depths of such pockets and disposed in the same plane.

In testimony whereof I afhx my signature, in presence of two wltnesses.

JACKSON L. STRAUB.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. TUCKER, CHRISTIAN KROEGER. 

